ZEC Taxi Monopoly

David Kurten: Before ZEC Taxis were made compulsory for new purchases, London’s taxi drivers were promised a range of five vehicles to choose from, but there is currently only one available. Why have you allowed a situation to develop where the London Electric Vehicle Company has a monopoly in the sale of new taxis which are priced at £65,000 and which shows no sign of ending anytime soon?

The Mayor: Improving London’s air quality is an absolute priority and everyone must play their part. I’m proud that our taxi trade is leading the way with the uptake of new ZEC taxis.
Taxis will contribute around an estimated 30 per cent of NOx emissions in central London by 2020, which would make them the largest road transport emissions contributor to NO2 concentrations in that area.
I have never promised a specific number of ZEC taxi types and I cannot dictate whether, or when, a manufacturer will bring a vehicle to market.
Transport for Londonis continuing to work with vehicle manufacturers interested in bringing new ZEC taxis to London. The first ZEC taxi was brought to market in December 2017 and TfL has licensed over 2,000 so far. We are advised a second, fully electric, taxi could be available this year.
To help taxi drivers make the switch to ZEC vehicles and achieve our aim in significantly reducing harmful emissions, I have provided a £42m taxi delicensing fund which provides up to £10,000 for taxi licensees to delicense the most polluting taxis.
These funds are in addition to TfL’s continued contribution of £3,500 to the Government-led Plug-in Taxi Grant, which gives taxi licensees up to £7,500 off the price of a new ZEC taxi.